Evening Meetings
by Silvery Mist
Summary: DISCONTINUED: Royai, manga spoilers Roy and Riza secretly meet to discuss the conspiracy within the military.
1. Evening Rendezvous

**Author's Notes and Warnings:** This is a story I just thought up after reading Chapter 69 of the manga. It'll contain a few random spoilers from chapters 52 to 69 so if you haven't read that far, read at your own risk.

This story also has a lime flavor. Those with allergies to citrus products might want to reconsider reading. I was a little unsure as to whether to rate the story T or M so if you think the story is inappropriate for a T, please let me know and I'll change the rating.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters.

* * *

"This is all the info we were able to gather." A handful of papers resembling love letters were tossed into his lap.

"I'm impressed you were able to gather this much in a week."

"Well, it was fortunate that Lieutenant General Stirling decided to bring some of his military friends here for a few celebratory drinks. You'll be surprised to know just how easily men spill their darkest secrets when filled with alcohol and surrounded by beautiful women."

Roy Mustang snickered. "I believe it," he replied while scanning the documents the red-headed girl gave him. "Women always seem to know exactly what to do to make men their pawns. You women will probably be the downfall of the military." He looked up at her. "This could be quite useful."

The girl giggled. "I'll be sure to tell the other girls you said thanks."

Mustang smirked and reached into his inside coat pocket. "Here," he said as he handed her a small manila envelope. "I added a little bonus for all the hard work everybody put in."

The girl smiled as she took the envelope, opened it, and started counting the money inside. Then she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You know, Mr. Roy, it's a real pity that you aren't interested in the other activities this place has to offer. I know a few girls who would be more than happy to oblige."

Mustang laughed. "Well Vanessa, I think you know the reason for that."

"Yes," she smiled, "we all know."

Mustang got up from the sofa and headed towards the door. "Anyway, I better get going," he said as he opened the door.

Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Alright." She walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Tell her I said 'hi'." she whispered in his ear.

"Ok," he whispered back.

Mustang walked two steps out onto the hallway before turning. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Vanessa," he grinned, showing off his sexiest smile.

"Anytime, Colonel." she flirted back.

Still smirking, the Flame Alchemist headed back downstairs towards the entrance of the bar.

"Good evening Madame Christmas," he said as he passed her.

"Good evening Little Roy," Madame Christmas responded from behind the bar where she was serving a few customers. "I trust you had a good time?"

"Very."

"Good" smiled Madame Christmas. "Give Elizabeth my regards."

Mustang grinned and waved goodbye as he headed out the front door.

* * *

As Roy walked up the stairs to his apartment he could smell the aroma of dinner wafting in the air. _She's here,_ he thought as he pulled out his key. Sure enough, the second he turned the key he could hear a pattering of feet followed by the sound of something panting and scratching against the door.

"Hello, Black Hayate," Roy said as he opened the door and bent down to pat the little black and white dog. Black Hayate barked a greeting back and attempted to lick his face. Roy laughed. "I'm happy to see you too."

"You're back," came a voice in the kitchen. Roy looked up and saw Riza standing next to the stove cooking. She had changed out of her uniform and was now wearing a simple white blouse and black knee high skirt. She had let her hair down and clasped around her neck was a simple silver necklace, a gift he bought her last Christmas.

"Yeah," he said, dropping his package on a nearby table and walked into the kitchen with Black Hayate happily following at his heel. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Madame Christmas and the girls say hi."

She turned her head and kissed him. " How are they doing?"

" From what I could see, pretty well. The place was full of people."

"I take it then that they were able to get quite a bit of information?"

" Yup."

" Good." She turned her attention back to the stove.

" Mmm...what's for dinner?" asked Roy as he hugged her tighter, taking in her scent.

" Chicken Alfredo. Want a taste?"

"Sure."

"Then wait 5 minutes."

" Aww… no fair."

Riza smiled. "Life's never fair, Roy." He pouted and let her go.

"So do you have to go in for work tomorrow?" asked Roy as he went to set the table.

"No. The Fuhrer's gone home for the weekend." replied Riza as she split the chicken alfredo among two plates. "He mentioned he had some kind of family reunion to attend."

Roy scowled. " Probably some kind of Homunculi gathering."

Riza put the two plates on the dining table. "I wouldn't be surprised."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Roy spoke again. "Have you been able to uncover any information on what they're planning?"

Riza sighed. "No. The Fuhrer is making certain to keep me in the dark."

"I'm sorry…"

Riza blinked. " For what?"

" For putting you in this situation. If I hadn't confronted the Fuhrer to see if he really was a Homunculi Breda, Falman, and Fuery would probably still be stationed in Central and you wouldn't be the Fuhrer's hostage." Roy gripped the table. "I even put Fullmetal's automail mechanic in danger."

Sighing again, Riza put her fork down and stared at him. "It's not your fault. We were already getting too close to the truth so even if you hadn't confronted the Fuhrer the higher ups probably would have separated us all regardless." She picked up her fork again. "Anyway, what were you able to find at the bar?"

Roy waved at the pile of so-called love letters he dropped earlier. "Apparently, a group of generals came to the bar to celebrate the completion of something that had been started since the founding of the country. There were mentions of an 'immortal army', "alchemy", and "Briggs". From the sound of things, there may be something going on at the border between Amestris and Drachma."

Riza nodded. "So the Major General wasn't lying."

"No, she wasn't." answered Roy as he sneaked his last piece of chicken to Black Hayate. "But it's still too early to do anything. We have to let them make the first move."

Riza didn't say anything. Instead she got up and started clearing the dishes. Roy followed her back into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her again as she dropped the dishes into the sink.

"You're not going to leave tonight are you?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

Riza raised one hand to ruffle his black hair. "Why do you ask?"

" Because I don't want you to leave. It's been almost a month since we last saw each other outside the office and who knows when our next opportunity is. Besides," he added, whispering seductively into her ear, "we have a lot of 'catching up' to do."

Riza turned around to face him, resting her hands on his chest. "Roy, I…" He silenced her with a kiss before she had a chance to finish. Riza's eyes widened in surprise but returned it, all thoughts of what she was about to tell him disappearing from her mind as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and focused her attention on the kiss. Feeling her relax in his arms, Roy began deepening the kiss, gently pushing his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance. She complied and he began exploring the inside of her mouth while his hands began roaming up her back. Riza moaned into his mouth and began weaving her fingers into his hair.

They continued for a little while longer until they both had no choice but to come up for air. Face flushed and panting, they stared into each other's eyes, trying to etch the moment into their minds. Roy grinned as he realized just how much he missed her. He leaned back down towards her and planted another kiss on her lips before moving down her jaw and planting a trail of kisses down her neck and collarbone. Riza moaned again and pulled him closer to her.

"Roy," she moaned into his ear.

"Mmm?" he replied, continuing to kiss her lower neck while his hands slid under her blouse.

"I need to do the dishes."

Roy smirked. _Typical Riza. Work first, play later._ "Leave them. They'll still be there in the morning." he mumbled between kisses.

Riza didn't protest. Instead she pulled his face back up to hers and kissed him while her fingers deftly worked at unbuttoning the front of his shirt. After the first few buttons were undone, she slid her hands inside and across his chest. Roy groaned at the sensation. She knew exactly how to turn him on. He moved his fingers towards the front to work on the buttons of her blouse. Riza giggled.

"You're really eager aren't you?" she whispered seductively into his mouth

"The same could be said for you," he replied, mentally cursing the buttons and wishing he could just rip them apart.

Riza giggled again and pulled away. Before Roy could protest, she began walking towards his bedroom, careful to not trip over Black Hayate who was currently playing with one of his chew toys. She stopped momentarily to pick up the pile of love letters and turned towards him again.

"Sir," she said with a distinct flirting tone in her voice, "I believe we should continue this meeting in there." She pointed towards the bedroom door. "As you said earlier, we have a lot to discuss and catch up on."

Roy smirked. She was teasing him. "Yes, Lieutenant, we do. I wouldn't be surprised if this meeting takes up most of the night," he replied as he followed her into the bedroom.

* * *

**Author's Notes: ** I never thought it would be so difficult to write the romance part without inadvertently slipping into lemon territory. It also didn't help that my boyfriend kept encouraging me to write one. 

If Roy and Riza sound a bit OOC I apologize. I tried to keep them as in-character as much as I could.

Comments and critiques are welcome. I'd love to hear what you think, since this is my first try at writing.


	2. A Plan Uncovered

**Author's Notes:** I originally decided to discontinue this story last month after reading Chapter 70 of the manga. However, a little plot bunny hopped by a few nights ago while I was lying in bed and dropped me a couple ideas. So long story short, the story is back from the dead (somewhat).

Thanks to all who reviewed. In response to a few of the comments:

**Anne Packrat**: I thought about writing a lemon but I've decided not to. I did write a lemon for another story though.

**MoonStarDutchess:** Yes, this was my first story. My previous fan fiction writing prior to this was just a few paragraphs in my boyfriend's fic.

**Disclaimers and Warnings:** This chapter will contain spoilers up to the very beginning of Chapter 71and I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I'm just borrowing the characters and bits of the storyline.

* * *

Sunlight was peeking in through a crack between the curtains, its soft rays landing on a raven-haired man who, only moments before, was sleeping peacefully. Roy silently cursed as he listened to the blaring sirens of a fire truck passing by. He was having a really good dream before that truck had to ruin it. Mumbling about how people really shouldn't be playing with fire that early in the morning, he turned over onto his side to gaze at the blonde next to him.

Riza was sleeping on her side with her back towards him. The bed sheet that was covering her had slid down to her waist, exposing her tattoo. Impulsively, Roy reached out to trace the outline of the transmutation circle. Riza shivered a little at his touch but didn't awaken. Roy smiled as he remembered the first time he saw the tattoo and touched it. It was right after they had buried his sensei. Riza had asked him at her father's grave if she could trust her back to him. He had no idea what she meant at the time and nearly bolted out the front door when she led him to her bedroom and began undressing in front of him. She had been a forbidden fruit during his years living at the Hawkeye residence. Her father was quite protective of his only daughter and would roast any boy who made a pass at her. It was because of this reason that when she began unbuttoning her blouse in front of him that he had the instinctive urge to run out of the room before the ghost of his sensei came back to torment him. However, the sight of the transmutation circle etched across her back quickly replaced that fear with a sense of rage that his sensei would stoop so low as to mark his own daughter like that.

As Roy's fingers moved up the tattoo, he brushed over a few scars that marred her otherwise smooth skin. A pang of guilt swept over him as he remembered how she received them and the pain she endured for weeks afterwards. He didn't want to destroy the tattoo, much less hurt her in any way but she had begged him to. Like any young man in love, he couldn't refuse her request.

"You can study the tattoo all you want but I doubt you'll find anything new," a female voice spoke softly. Riza shifted her body so she was facing him and smiled. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," he replied, smiling. Leaning over, he planted a chaste kiss on her lips. As he moved in closer to her his foot kicked something warm and hairy. It yelped.

"Damn dog," muttered Roy as he watched Black Hayate slip out from under the covers and run out the door. "We didn't shut the door properly last night." Riza giggled. He turned his attention back to her and whispered seductively into her ear, "Shall we continue our meeting from last night?"

"I think you've had more than enough," she replied, still grinning.

"Sweetheart, I can never get enough of you."

"Unfortunately, we can't spend all day in bed." She squirmed out of his grasp and got up from the bed. "We still have to look over those 'letters' of yours," she told him over her shoulder as she made her way across the room towards the bathroom.

Roy frowned at her comment as he watched her shut the door. Soon the sound of squeaky pipes followed by rushing water filled the room. Roy could feel his own blood rushing south as his mind filled with lustful images of what she was doing in there. He got up and headed towards the bathroom, smirking as he opened the door and slipped inside.

Nobody ever said one couldn't play first and work later.

--

30 minutes and one very steamy shower later, Roy and Riza were sitting at the dining room table reviewing the documents Roy had received at the bar the night before while eating breakfast.

"It seems like they may be starting a conflict up North." remarked Roy between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs.

"Mmhmm," responded Riza as she took a sip of coffee. "Ashley wrote that they were toasting 'to immortal life' and that one general boasted that 'everything should be in place by the end of the month'".

Roy put down his fork and frowned. "But why would they want to start a conflict up there? What purpose would it serve?"

"Maybe it has something to do with the Philosopher's Stone," suggested Riza. "It would make sense seeing that anyone with possession of the Philosopher's Stone is essentially immortal."

"Most likely since alchemy is somehow involved. But I find it hard to imagine that Major General Armstrong would be a willing participant in this. She may be ambitious but surely she isn't the type to initiate a bloodbath. She usually waits for people to come to her."

"I agree. But what I don't understand is why Briggs? It's sparsely populated. It makes more sense to start a conflict somewhere where there's a large population and therefore plenty of casualties."

Roy pondered for a moment. "I don't know why," he finally answered, scratching his head. "But whatever the reason is, we don't have a lot of time to get to the bottom of it."

Riza nodded and slowly stood up. "I had better get going," she said as she placed her dishes in the sink. "If anyone sees me walking out of your apartment there will be questions and rumors."

Roy grinned as he imagined what the rumors would be and went to fetch her coat. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?" he asked as he helped her put it on.

"Hayate and I are going to go to the park for a bit and then I'm going to Headquarters."

"I thought you said you didn't have to go to work today."

"I don't. But without the Fuhrer keeping a constant eye on me I may be able to rummage around and find some useful information." She bent down to hook Black Hayate's leash to his collar. "What about you?"

"I was thinking of doing some digging around in the military records to see if I overlooked anything. Then I have to meet up with Madeline for our 'date' in the evening."

Riza smiled. "You better bring some extra money. If I remember correctly, she's quite expensive."

"But worth every cenz," he teased as she kissed him goodbye. He opened the door for her and watched as she disappeared down the hall with Hayate.

--

"Good Morning, Colonel Mustang," greeted the receptionist as Roy walked into the lobby of Central Headquarters with his evening suit wrapped in a small package and tucked under his arm. "I didn't expect to see you coming in today."

"Good Morning, Gloria," answered Roy. "Unfortunately I'm a little behind on my paperwork so I had to come in on my day off. "

"Oh, I see." She reached into one of the cubbyholes behind her and pulled out a stack of letters. "These came for you earlier," she said as she handed them to him.

"Thank you" said Roy as he took the letters. "Well I better get back to work." He waved goodbye to Gloria and headed towards his office.

When he finally reached the privacy of his office he looked down at the mail. To any other officer, the letters were from three random women but Roy recognized the handwriting of three of his former subordinates: Breda, Fuery, and Falman. He frowned when he noticed that all of the envelopes had already been opened. He took out Falman's letter and opened it. Someone had painstakingly blacked out most of the three-page letter. The only valuable information that he could make out was that Ed and Al were in military custody at Briggs. Roy crumpled the letter in one hand.

_The brass is careful to make sure I don't interfere with their plans. _He tossed the letters into the empty waste paper basket and snapped his fingers. Within seconds, the contents in the metal can were engulfed in flames. _Looks like I'm going to have to rely on my other sources to find out what's happening in Briggs,_ he thought as he made his way down to the investigations department.

--

"Here." Roy handed a small manila envelope to the woman sitting in the back seat of the car. "Thanks for the info."

"Wee…now I can buy that new purse," squealed Madeline as she took out the money and counted it.

Roy grinned as he opened the driver's door and slid out. He walked over to the other side of the car and opened the back car door. "You sure you don't need a ride anywhere?"

"Nah, I'm meeting some friends for a little shopping around here," responded Madeline as she got out of the car. "Come by the store sometime, Roy, k?" she called back as she went to meet her friends across the street. Roy grinned and waved at her retreating form.

"Dumped again, eh?" asked a voice behind him. Roy turned around. An old woman pushing a flower cart was right behind him. "Next time you should give her flowers." She held up a bouquet. "Here, how about buying these?"

Roy scoffed. "I just got dumped and you're telling me to buy some flowers so I can go home alone to wallow in my own misery? Thanks, but no thanks."

"Cheer up. Being dumped means now you're a free man. Speaking of which…" she said with a grin slowly making its way across the woman's face, "I bring word from Major General Olivier Armstrong."

Roy's eyes lit up. "Really…"

"She says that an immortal creature arrived at the fortress a few days ago, coming up from an underground tunnel into the heart of Briggs. They were able to freeze the creature and further inspection of the tunnel revealed that it may be a circle that encompasses the entire country."

"A circle around the entire country?" asked Roy. He pondered for a moment. "Wait…you said an 'immortal creature'. Did you mean a Homunculus?"

"Miss Olivia didn't say. She just said to pass this message to Mustang and that he would understand. She also said that General Raven and the Crimson Alchemist have arrived and are causing trouble up north. She speculates that they plan to start a full-scale attack on the Drachmans or something that will involve massive bloodshed."

"Hmm…" mused Roy. "Evidence we gathered here also pointed to a large scale conflict up north. However, we didn't understand why they would want to start one up there."

"Miss Olivia said that Fort Briggs will become the final piece of an alchemy puzzle that has been in the works since the founding of the country. This is why she's requesting that the Eastern and Northern Army team up. If the two armies do not join forces to resist this, Amestris will soon see the ultimate sacrifice."

"The ultimate sacrifice?" echoed Roy. Suddenly, all the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.

--

"Dammit!" exclaimed Roy. He slammed his fist on the table where he was studying a map of Amesteris. Several circles were written in red pen across the map with additional lines connecting each of the circles. "They can't possibly plan on sacrificing the country," he muttered, "but then, what other reason would they have to do this?"

A knock on the door brought him out of his pondering. Grunting, he got up and picked up his gun which was lying on the table next to the door. Unlocking the safety, he readied himself in case the enemy was on the other side and opened the door. A blonde woman in a blue State Military uniform stood there.

"Hawkeye?"

"Sir!" she exclaimed and saluted. "I was hoping I could speak with you in private."

"Umm…sure." He stepped aside and Riza walked into the apartment. Shutting the door, he asked, "Riza, what the hell are you doing here? If you were followed we could be–" Before he could finish Riza had flung herself at him.

"Roy, I'm scared," she murmured into his neck. Roy was dumbfounded. Riza scared? He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What happened?"

Riza pulled herself back a little so could talk to him face to face. "The Fuhrer called me while I was in the office asking me to prepare and deliver some urgent documents to him. When I arrived at his home he wasn't there but his wife….I-I've already said too much," she stammered.

Roy looked at her intently. "What happened at the Fuhrer's mansion?"

Riza looked down at the floor. "I'm can't say. They'll harm everyone, including you, if I say anything more."

"They got to you too then." Riza's eyes widened. "It doesn't matter though. I've figured…" Riza put a finger on his lips.

"Don't say anymore. They're watching us," she whispered. Roy could see the fear in her eyes. "Please let me stay with you tonight. I don't want to be alone in the dark."

Roy sighed and quietly led her to the bedroom.

Whatever they did to her, he would make sure the Homunculi would pay**.  
**

* * *

**A/N:** As I was writing this I realized that this story is turning into my view of what happens to Roy (and Riza) in the manga while Ed and Al are in Briggs. The seemingly lack of RoyxRiza moments lately in the manga was what inspired this chapter I guess.

Again, thanks to Jack Bauer Reborn for editing this.


	3. Hiding in the Shadows

**Author's Notes:** So Riza _didn't_ go running to Roy in the manga. This is what happens when one writes what they think happens before a chapter comes out. While I preferred my version of the post-Pride encounter the subtle flirting in Chapter 72 was a nice Royai Day gift from Arakawa-sensei. :D

First off, I want to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I've been extremely busy with other things. Secondly, I'll like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. I hope you all enjoy this.

**Warnings and Disclaimers**: Same disclaimers as the previous chapters. Massive spoilers up to and including Chapter 73 so read at your own risk.

* * *

Roy sighed as he scribbled a few notes in his research journal, trying to remember all the information he gathered the previous night. Glancing at the map on the couch next to him, he quickly sketched it into his journal, along with a few city names and the transmutation circle that encompassed it all. Meanwhile, Riza was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes from breakfast. Roy looked up from his notes when he heard her accidentally drop a plate in the sink and frowned. Something was really troubling her. She had tossed and turned for most of the night, muttering incoherent words in her sleep. Then, during breakfast, her eyes kept inadvertently darting around the room as if she was searching for something.

Sighing again, he folded up the map and placed his journal onto the coffee table. "Riza," he called out to her, gesturing for her to come over. She walked over to him, dishcloth in hand. Roy gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap.

"You sure everything's OK?" he asked, gently stroking her hand.

"I'm fine," she answered absentmindedly. Roy wasn't convinced. Something was definitely wrong.

"Riza," he repeated as he gently cupped her chin and turned her head to face him. "You can't fool me. I've known you long enough to know when something's troubling you." He looked deep into her mahogany eyes. "If you can't tell me what happened last night then I'll just have to keep digging till I find out myself."

Riza sighed and looked away. "I told you why I can't tell you anything…"

"I'm a grown man, Riza. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." Riza chuckled at the statement. "Alright, maybe I need a _little_ help when it's raining," he added while wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "I'm glad you can still laugh even if it's at my expense," he murmured into her ear.

"Roy, I-" she began but he cut her off with a kiss. She relented and slowly wrapped her arms behind his head. Roy moved his hand up to caress her cheek but stopped when his fingers brushed something unexpected.

"Where did you get that cut?" he asked, pulling back from the kiss.

"Hmm?"

"On your right cheek." He gently touched the sliver of dried blood that blemished her face. He couldn't believe he didn't notice it before.

"It's nothing. I probably got scratched by a tree branch while I was at the park with Hayate," she answered.

"You sure? It looks pretty deep for a scratch caused by a twig."

"It-It's fine. Really…"

Pushing her hair behind her ear to get a better look at the cut, Roy noticed a few more scratches on her neck and what looked like faint bruises. Suddenly, realization dawned on him.

"What the hell did they do to you?"

"What are you talking about? I told you I probably got it from the park."

"No you didn't. These marks on your neck…they're consistent with someone who was strangled."

Riza flinched at his last word and said nothing. Roy could feel a burning rage beginning to build inside of him. "Riza," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "Tell me right now what the Homunculi did to you and why."

"I can't."

"Dammit, Riza! How am I supposed to protect you if you won't even let me know what's threatening you?"

Riza sighed and slid off his lap. "Don't worry. They won't kill me…yet. They still need me as a hostage to keep you in line."

Roy frowned. "That still doesn't explain those marks on your neck."

"One of them just decided to scare me a little. Nothing more."

"Which one?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she walked over to the door and picked up a bag containing her uniform. "I better go. I left Hayate at home by himself. Good day, Colonel."

"Wait," he called out. Grabbing his coat from the chair, he hastily put it on. "Let me walk you home."

Riza's eyes widened in alarm. "Someone could see us together."

"I don't care," Roy replied, picking up his journal before heading towards her. "Keeping you safe is my priority right now." He opened the door. "After you," he gestured.

"Roy, this really isn't a good idea," asserted Riza as she stepped out in the hallway. Roy shut the door behind him and locked it.

"At this point, there's no such thing as a good or bad idea. They're pulling the strings and we're the puppets." Putting his hand on the small of her back, he gently directed her towards the front of the building. "All we can do now is wait for the right opportunity to strike and do our best to make it out of this mess alive," he said in a soft voice so only she could hear.

Riza reluctantly nodded in agreement. "It's almost like a chess game and we're pawns waiting to be sacrificed."

"Yeah," answered Roy as they reached the front entrance. "Except in a regular chess game, the opponent's pieces aren't hidden nor are they invincible." Opening the door, he led her outside without another word.

--

Roy walked through the park in silence. After dropping Riza off at her apartment he had decided to take a walk through the nearby park to clear his mind. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours that he could barely comprehend it all. After jotting down the remaining information he acquired from last night's rendezvous into his journal, he flipped the page and wrote down seven words:

_Wrath_

_Gluttony_

_Lust_

_Envy_

_Greed_

_Pride_

_Sloth_

He pondered for a moment before stopping momentarily and crossed off 'Lust'. Scratching his head with the back of his pen, he looked over the list again.

_Riza said the Fuhrer wasn't home so it couldn't have been Wrath. Gluttony swallows things whole so strangulation wouldn't be his kind of attack and Full Metal said Greed had no interest in fighting women. That leaves Envy, Pride, and Sloth as the ones who probably attacked Riza last night. One of these three probably also killed Hughes._

Roy shuddered as he thought of what the Homunculus could have done to her. She must have discovered something extremely important, something important enough to warrant threatening her to keep her silent. He never thought of it before but having her as a hostage might have been a blessing in disguise. When Hughes had discovered the truth behind Ishbal and all the other uprisings they murdered him in order to silence him. However, because they needed Riza alive to use as leverage against him they could only threaten her. Roy clamped his journal shut.

_Those damn bastards. I'll kill them if it's the last thing I do._

All of a sudden, Roy felt an ominous presence directly behind him. From the corner of his eye he could see a shadow slowly creeping up behind him. Quietly slipping on his spark glove, he quickly turned around, his right hand posed ready to snap.

Nobody was there.

_What the…? I could've sworn there was someone behind me, _he thought. He glanced around the park but it was virtually deserted. Sighing, he sat down on a nearby bench. _Maybe all this conspiracy stuff is getting to me. _Messing up his hair a little, Riza's words from last night came back to him. _They're watching us._

_Who's watching us and how_? _ What was she trying to tell me? _ "Why won't you tell me anything? I don't want to lose you to them like I lost Hughes." he muttered to himself.

Looking up at the sky, he mulled over the list in his mind again. As he went through the names for the tenth time, he recalled part of the conversation he had with the old flower lady the night before. She had mention that a Homunculus had penetrated Briggs by digging a tunnel below the foundation.

_I wonder which Homunculus it was that attacked Briggs. If only there was a way I could contact the Major General without the lines being tapped, _he wondered.

The sound of distant children playing tag soon brought him back to reality. Getting up from the bench, he made his way out of the park and back onto the busy streets of Central.

--

Roy spent the remainder of the day doing his usual rounds around the city which included a brief visit to Havoc at the hospital and a couple of short conversations with his 'girlfriends'. He also passed a message to Lieutenant General Grumman through Madam Christmas regarding their latest situation and the proposed alliance between the Eastern and Northern Army. He had debated telling the General about the threat the Homunculi had made on Riza but figured that it would be no use to tell the old man of his granddaughter's situation until he had uncovered more evidence.

Interestingly, the suspicious feeling that someone was watching him stayed with him throughout most of the day. It was only when he was finally back in his own apartment and preparing an early dinner that he finally felt at ease. He had found himself constantly looking over his shoulder during his stroll around Central but each time he turned around, there would be no one there.

While he was chopping vegetables in his kitchen the phone rang. Wiping his hands on a nearby dish towel, he picked it up on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Roy," said Riza from the other end of the line. "I'm in your neighborhood running a few errands and I was wondering if I could drop by your place later?

Roy grinned. "You know you never have to ask. In fact, I'd say you have pretty good timing. I was just starting to make dinner. Care to join me?"

"Depends on what's for dinner." she answered.

"Pork chops. If you come I'll even throw in a special 'dessert'. That is, only if you're in the mood for it," he added, remembering what happened that morning. He could hear Riza laughing quietly.

"Alright," she finally said. "I've be over there in about an hour." He heard a soft click as Riza hung up the phone. Grinning even more, he went back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Roy had just finished preparing the pork chops and was putting them in the oven when he heard a sharp knock on the door. After quickly washing his hands at the sink, he went to answer it.

"I wasn't expecting you for another twenty minutes," he said in his most seductive voice. "I never thought you were that eager for a little-AHHH!"

Roy tripped over his feet and fell over backwards onto the floor. Standing at the doorway with her arms folded, Major General Olivier Milla Armstrong raised her left eyebrow. "Expecting someone, Mustang? One of your many girlfriends perhaps?"

"Major General, ma'am!" gasped Roy, scrambling back onto his feet. "Please come in," he panted, still recovering from the shock of finding the chilly "North Wall of Briggs" at his door instead of his warm and faithful subordinate.

Major General Armstrong walked in slowly, clearly unimpressed with Roy's apartment. Roy noticed that not only was she still wearing her military uniform, but she also had her sword, feared by every soldier in the Eastern and Northern army, by her side.

"Um…could I get you some tea or coffee, Major General?" he asked.

"No," she replied, still frowning as she glanced at the notes he had scattered across his dining table. "I don't intend on staying long." She turned around and stared at him with her icy blue eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't asked why I'm in Central," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Actually, that was going to be my next question. Why are you here, ma'am?"

"I was summoned to Central this morning by the Fuhrer. Apparently word reached Central HQ about Lieutenant General Raven's disappearance and I'm certain they knew I had something to do with it." She absently fingered her sword as she mentioned the last part.

Roy was taken aback by her statement.

"However, I didn't come here to talk about that," she added before taking a seat. "It's obvious that Central used this excuse to bring me down here so they could send in a replacement up north. There is also no doubt that this new commanding officer and the Central army that arrived will start a conflict with the Drachmans very soon…probably within two weeks, one if the transition goes flawlessly."

"But our intelligence said it'll probably take till the end of the month."

"Your 'intelligence' is outdated," Olivier snapped. Roy opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him. "The main reason I'm here at all is because _we_ need to take the initiative and attack _now_ before they have a chance to paint Briggs red with blood."

Roy pondered for a moment, trying to absorb all the new information. "I've already contacted General Grumman about the alliance but he hasn't responded yet. We should at least wait for him before planning our next move."

Olivier scoffed. "And when exactly do you expect to hear from him?"

"Most likely tonight. Tomorrow at the very latest depending on how long it takes my messenger to locate him."

Olivier nodded. "I see," she said, getting up. "I ought to go. Things could be disastrous if the Fuhrer discovers that I was here."

"Wait, General," Roy called after her. "I have a question before you leave. That Homunculus that broke into Briggs, what happened to it?"

Olivier paused for a moment. "General Raven ordered us to revive the creature and then had it sent back down the tunnel to finish digging."

"I see. Did it have a name by any chance?"

"Sloth…I believe that's what General Raven called it."

Roy closed his eyes. So another Homunculus had made its appearance. Only one remained still hidden in the shadows. _I guess it's safe to say that Sloth didn't attack Riza seeing that it was probably still up North digging._

"Is there anything else, Mustang?" asked Olivier, impatiently.

"No, that's all. Thank you General."

Olivier walked over to the door and placed a hand on the door knob. Instead of turning it, she looked back at Roy. "Oh, and one more thing, Colonel."

"Ma'am?"

"A week ago, another strange creature attacked my men who had gone into the tunnel to investigate. The two survivors reported that the monster lurks and attacks from the shadows. "

Roy stood there stunned as memories of his trip to the park came back to him. _So I wasn't going crazy. There probably really was something following me._ "A Homunculus?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm only telling you this so you will be on your guard. You never know when they may be watching you." She opened the door and stepped out. "Give Hawkeye and Havoc my regards," she called back over her shoulder.

Roy ran a shaky hand through his messy hair after the Major General left. Everything was moving too quickly. _Blast_, he thought. _How can she remain calm with all this happening around us?_

Glancing up at the clock, he sighed and went to check on dinner. Riza should be arriving soon. As he peeked into the oven, he debated whether he should tell her about his meeting with the Major General. While he had always confided to her any information he gathered in the past, Olivia's warning made him question whether it would be appropriate this time. He wouldn't be surprised if they were following her whenever she wasn't with the Fuhrer.

There was another knock on the door. Roy closed the oven door but before he could walk over to the entrance hall, Riza walked in with her arms full with bags.

"Hey," she said as she deposited the bags by the door. "I hope you don't mind I let myself in. Your door was unlocked."

Roy smirked. "That's ok. Dinner's still in the oven though. It'll probably be another ten minutes," he told her as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

"I can wait. I'm not really hungry yet. Actually, the real reason I came is because I wanted to explain about this morning…"

"You don't have to explain. I know."

Riza stared at him, confused. "Know what?"

"Why you're being so elusive." He pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered into her ear. "They're watching us from the shadows." He felt her stiffen.

"How—"

"I'll explain after dinner. There are some things I need to talk to you about." Releasing her, he made his way back into the kitchen to check on the main course.

As much as he hated it, dessert would have to wait.

* * *

**AN**: So I'm taking another plunge into the abyss and writing what I think is going to happen in future manga chapters. Hopefully I won't be writing myself into a corner.

That part between Olivier and Roy went through so many major revisions. I had a hard time coming up with a plausible way (I had come up with a couple of lame ones) the two could communicate without Pride eavesdropping. Until proven otherwise, I'm going to assume that Pride can't be everywhere at once so he's probably out stalking Hawkeye or someone else, leaving Olivia and Roy to freely discuss their next move. I'll also like to thank Jack Bauer Reborn for editing a big portion of the dialogue between those two.


	4. Coded Conversations

**Author's Notes: **So sorry for the late chapter. I really have no excuse other than that I've been pre-occupied with other stuff. Nevertheless, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapters and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**Spoiler Warnings**: This chapter will be heavily based on Chapter 74 in that I'll be taking two scenes from the chapter and manipulating them to fit my story so I take no credit for Arakawa-sensei's awesome ideas. The Roy/Riza coded dialogue from the manga will mostly remain the same as the translation from the forum so feel free to skip that part if you don't want to re-read it again.

* * *

"Sorry about the mess. I haven't had time to clean up," Roy said as he shoved his research notes into a disorganized pile on the corner of his dining table. "I just didn't expect you here for another ten minutes."

"You don't have to apologize," answered Riza from the kitchen. "It's not like I haven't seen your place a mess before. She walked back into the dining area holding a mug of tea. "Besides, if I remember correctly, I'm usually the one who cleans up after you."

Roy smirked at the comment. "Sometimes I wonder how you put up with me," he joked, grabbing her by the waist. Riza smiled and placed her mug on the table before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"If you still haven't figured out the answer to that then you really aren't as smart as you claim to be," she teased before he bent down and gave her a kiss. When they finally parted Roy realized the suspicious feeling he had that morning had returned. He glanced over Riza's shoulder and could've sworn he saw a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows before it disappeared a second later.

"Is something wrong?" Riza asked him, looking concerned.

Roy shook his head. "No, I just thought I saw something." Looking back at her, he smiled and added, "Dinner should be ready. Let me go get it." Letting go of her, he went back to the kitchen. When he returned a few minutes later he found Riza sitting patiently at the table reading one of his notes.

"Here," he said, placing a plate in front of her. "It's a little hot so you might want to let it cool a bit first."

"Thanks," she said, putting the paper back with the rest of his notes. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked, taking a sip of tea as he sat down.

"Hmm?... Oh, I wanted to tell you that I got a call from Full Metal today," he lied. It was probably best that he didn't mention that Major General had paid a visit.

Riza looked up from her drink. "Oh? How are he and Al?"

"Pretty well considering where they are," he responded while cutting his meat. "He called to inform me that General Raven has taken over command of Briggs and that Major General Armstrong was relieved of her duties and transferred to Central." He picked up a piece of paper and pen from the middle of his stack as he spoke. "He also mentioned a few other things that I have written down somewhere in this pile."

"I see." Riza replied. She lowered her mug and tapped it twice on the table. Roy looked up from the sheet he was scanning. He hadn't heard that signal in years. He and Hughes had developed it during their academy years to inform the other that he was about to talk in code. They had showed Riza their method during their days in Ishbal but they hadn't used it since then. "Speaking of Briggs," she continued, "did you know that there's a rumor that Scar's up North?"

"Yeah, I heard about it," he answered while quickly uncapping his pen. "He's supposedly up there with some little Xing girl with a black and white cat."

"Yeah. Edward mentioned it to me the night he came by my place to return my gun that he was looking for that little girl."

"Really…" Roy said absently as he scribbled the names on the paper. "I wonder if he had any luck finding her. He never mentioned anything about it when he called."

"My classmates Lucy and Issac are stationed in the North. I suppose I could contact them."

"That reminds me, the yearly joint training with the North should be coming up."

"Already?" Riza asked, somewhat surprised. "Oh, that's right. We've almost always had the training around this time. I remember how we always had such a difficult time trying to break through Major Miles and Captain Buccaneer's units. I can't remember if we ever did actually successfully penetrate their defenses."

"I just remember their hair-styles more than the battles against them. I always wondered if those two got cold with those hair-dos up North."

Riza chuckled as she took a bite of her dinner. She chewed for a bit as if pondering something before continuing. "Do you remember my friend, Rebecca?"

"Of course." Roy answered. "The dark-haired lieutenant who you were always doing target practice with, right?"

Riza nodded. "She was very happy that time when Major General Armstrong praised her shooting skills after one of the joint trainings."

"Speaking of the General, you were her favorite, weren't you? I heard that she tried to recruit you and Havoc once."

"No, I think she liked Dave, Lysander, Edger... and York more. She also seemed to favor Ida and Sugar."

Roy chuckled. "Looks like I'm at the bottom of the list. I never thought the Major General could hold a grudge for that long."

They ate in silence for a few more seconds before Riza spoke again. "You know, I never understood why the joint training sessions were almost always scheduled in the winter. A number of soldiers were convinced that you and Major General Armstrong purposely arranged them around that time to torture them. "

Roy laughed at the accusation. "Come on, do I look that evil? Besides, they say that if you have your soldiers train in the worst conditions it makes them more efficient when they battle for real in less severe environments."

"Yes, but nevertheless trench exercises at the North were exceptionally brutal. There was that time when Havoc nearly got frostbite a few years back."

"It was his fault. He should've known better than to go out in that weather with wet socks."

"Well Oscar and Mike also complained about training up in the North. They complained that the rations from the Northern army tasted terrible."

Roy smirked. "At least it wasn't as bad as the coffee. You pretty much needed a cast iron stomach to drink that and not feel sick afterwards."

Riza nodded. "Speaking of food, do you remember the time during one of the training sessions when my friend Uni had mess hall duty? He and Nora went out hunting and brought back a nice big deer for dinner. Charlie enjoyed the meal so much that he secretly stole Uni's portion."

Roy chuckled at the anecdote as he wrote down Uni's name again. "That's to be expected. Everyone knows that it's all about the survival of the fittest up North. Let your guard down for a second and you could be a dead man."

"Yes. Lucy definitely followed that rule. She was always the first one to show up for meals."

"She's also gaining more weight every time I see her. Pretty soon she'll be bigger than Breda."

Riza laughed. "I remember Uni once joked that if she got any fatter he might just use her as an ingredient for the mess hall meals. She was not happy with that comment."

"I heard from Fuery that the fight that came afterward was vicious! It's too bad I missed it. It sounded like it was very entertaining," Roy remarked as he took another bite of his dinner.

Riza frowned at his comment. "The fight wasn't pretty. Starling ended up going to the hospital for injuries he got trying to break the two up. If you had been there you should do your job as a superior officer and stop the fight, not watch it." She tapped her mug when she finished.

Roy chuckled as he wrote a few more notes onto the sheet while finishing the rest of his dinner. "Those were good times. Almost makes me wish we were back in Eastern HQ again."

"Yeah," Riza agreed. She got up from the table and carried her dishes to the sink. Roy joined her a minute later.

So, are you in the mood for 'dessert'?" he asked, leaning against the counter as he watched her wash the dishes. Riza simply smiled.

"I'm afraid I'll have to take a rain check on it." Roy pouted.

"You sure about that?" he asked, pulling her closer to him and planting butterfly kisses along her neck. He heard her giggle slightly.

"Yes, I'm quite sure." She pulled back from him and gently prodded him on the chest. "You have a lot of work to do and we have work tomorrow so you need to get a good night's sleep."

"But I sleep better with you beside me," he countered, giving her his best puppy dog look. "And as we both know, I get more work done with you standing over me making sure I don't slack off."

Riza couldn't help but smile at the remark. Leaning forward slightly, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm sure you'll figure something out," she whispered in his ear before walking off towards the entrance hall. Picking up her coat, she put it on and picked up her bags. "Be careful, ok? You never know when you're being followed."

_That's what Major General Armstrong said too._ "Don't worry, I won't do anything rash."

"Good," answered Riza as she opened the door. "Good night, Colonel. And thank you for dinner."

"It was my pleasure," he replied as she stepped out into the hall. He watched her disappear down the stairs before he shut the door. Leaning back against the door, he eyed the piece of paper containing Riza's coded message.

_So she really is being followed. That has to be the reason why she talked to me in code. I guess it was a good thing she didn't take me up one my 'dessert' offer then._

Shaking his head, Roy shuddered at the thought that a Homunculus might have been watching them during their most intimate moments.

"Curse them," he muttered under his breath before heading back to the kitchen to clean up the mess he made in the kitchen.

He'll decode her message later when he was certain he wasn't being watched.

--

_The next day…_

Roy groaned as he stared at the giant stack of paperwork next to him. It was times like these that he really missed his subordinates. _Damn. There's no way I can finish all this today. _He glanced at his clock on the corner of his desk. It read 10:05. _Two more hours till lunch, _he thought. Picking up his pen again, he scribbled his signature at the bottom of the form he had skimmed over before tossing it into the finished pile. He attempted to read the next one but the words quickly became a blur by the time he was less than a quarter the way down the page.

"Dammit!" he swore to himself, throwing his pen onto the paperwork and pushing his chair away from the desk. "I can't think!" Gripping his hair, he thought back to the previous night. After he had finished his chores around his apartment and made sure there weren't any Homunculi lurking around he had gone back to his notes and deciphered her message. What he uncovered deeply disturbed him. How could the Fuhrer's son be a Homunculus? It didn't make any sense. Then again, what reason would Riza have to lie to him?

He thought back to the few times he had seen the Fuhrer's son. Selim Bradley seemed like a normal child; a bit spoiled but nevertheless an ordinary ten year old boy. The last time he had seen him Selim had boasted that he planned on becoming a state alchemist and surpassing his idol, the Full Metal Alchemist. Roy had chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm at the time but now he wondered if it was even possible for this child to be one of them. No matter how much he tried to justify it, he just couldn't fathom the boy being a Homunculus. The only plausible alternative was that Selim Bradley was actually Envy in disguise. After all, it did make sense. Al had once told him that Envy had the ability shape-shift to look like other people. Yet, Riza knew this and if his hypothesis was correct, why didn't she just say Selim was Envy in her code?

Sighing, Roy slowly got up and made his way towards the door. The paperwork would have to wait. He needed to get out and clear his mind.

--

The streets of Central were bustling with pedestrians despite the morning chill much to Roy's surprise. He had expected the streets to be nearly deserted. Shivering slightly, he walked aimlessly down the street, occasionally eavesdropping on snippets of conversations from people near him. Every so often he would stop and pretend to look at a window display while in actuality; he was scanning the reflection in the glass for anybody or anything suspicious. So far he hadn't felt the evil presence from the day before but he knew better than to let his guard down after what happened.

After almost an hour of mindless wandering, Roy began feeling a slight cold coming.

Pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket, he decided it was a good time to head back. He had just turned around and was making his way back to Headquarters when he heard footsteps running towards him.

"Colonel!" squealed a female voice and Roy suddenly found a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and a warm body pressed against his.

"Marie?" He stared at the redhead in front of him. "What are you doing in Central?"

Marie giggled as she looked up at him. "Oh, I got a little tired with the East City scenery so I decided to take a little shopping trip here. You know how dull it gets there sometimes, right?"

"Haha…of course," Roy grinned. "You always did complain that the East City nightlife was nowhere near as lively as Central's. I'm surprised you haven't decided to move here yet."

"Well, I'll love to but all my family is back East and my parents would never approve of a single woman like me moving to a big city like Central all by myself. However…" she added, playing with one of his coat buttons, "if I were to marry a nice handsome Central man I'm sure they wouldn't mind me leaving the East for here."

Roy smirked. "Hmm…I think I might know a few men whom you might be interested in." She smiled back. "So how long have you been in Central?" he asked while he gently removed her gloved hands from his uniform.

"Since this morning. I literally just came from the train station," Marie answered, fidgeting with the edge of one of her gloves. "I was on my way to Le Président Café. A few of my friends told me that their crêpes are simply the best in Amestris and that it would be a sin to come to Central and not try them."

"Your friends are right. Their crêpes are excellent. I highly recommend the strawberry one."

"Would you care to join me then, Colonel?" she asked. "Eating alone is never as enjoyable as eating with someone else."

"I would love to, except I'm still currently at work."

"Please, Colonel?" she pouted as she grasped his right hand. Roy felt a small square of paper being pressed into his palm. He smirked as he realized the real reason she was in Central.

"I'm really sorry, Marie. I would probably get in trouble if I were seen out on a date during working hours. "

"Alright," she sighed. Letting go, she took a few steps back before turning around. "Promise you'll look me up the next time you're back East ok?"

"Of course."

"Good, I'll see you around. Good bye, Colonel."

Roy watched as Marie disappeared amongst the bustling crowd before he turned and noticed a paperboy standing in a corner. As he walked towards him, the little boy jumped up and held up a newspaper. "Paper, sir? We've got the latest news on the serial murderer in the West End."

"I'll take one," he answered, handing the boy 100 cenz. Opening the newspaper, he pretended to read it while secretly unfolding the note Marie had slipped into his hand.

_Colonel Mustang,_

_I believe the Eastern Army will welcome this new joint training. They haven't had much to do since they were pulled out of the Liore uprising._

_I'll be in Central for the Amestris Day celebrations this week. My dear friend Lieutenant General Armstrong has already graciously offered his home to me during my stay and would like you and Elizabeth to join him and his family for dinner on Thursday at 7pm. We can probably figure out the details of the training then._

_ General Grumman_

Roy smiled as he folded the paper and slid it inside the newspaper for safe-keeping. He had completely forgotten about Amestris Day. Each year the Fuhrer would invite the highest ranking officers in each region to attend the celebration of the country's founding in Central HQ. The fact that the old man was using the celebration as an excuse to travel to Central and secretly arrange a meeting between the three was truly impressive. Roy couldn't help but wonder what other tricks Riza's grandfather hadn't taught him yet.

Still smiling, Roy made his way back to Headquarters, stopping by the cafeteria to pick up a cup of coffee. As he navigated his way through the halls towards his office he thought about how he was going to pass on the message to both Riza and Olivia without arousing suspicion. He supposed he could simply stop by Riza's apartment later that evening or find her at lunch but he was at a loss at how to notify the Major General that Grumman had finally responded.

_I guess I could just ask Major Armstrong to pass along a message to his sister or just let her find out through her family that Grumman's coming to Central,_ he thought.

"Mustang!" yelled a female voice suddenly behind him, startling him. Roy turned around and saw Olivier Armstrong walking up the hall flanked by two guards.

"Oh, Major General Armstrong. What a pleasant surprise."_ Just the person I wanted to see._

She glared at him. "What the hell is a novice like you doing in Central? How did you manage to bribe your way here?"

Roy looked at her confused for a moment before he understood what was going on."You think so lowly of me. Is it so hard to believe that I got here on my own talent?"

Olivier grunted as she strolled past him. "Slept your way here then?" she mocked. Roy glowered at her before following after her.

"If you're referring to the train ride from Eastern to Central, then yes, I did. It wasn't very comfortable though." He took a quick glance at the guards behind him. "So what are you doing here in Central, ma'am?"

"I was summoned here by the Fuhrer yesterday. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived in Central last night he had already gone home so I'm meeting him right now."

"Oh, I see. Well would you be interested in dinner later?"

Olivia scoffed. "With you? If I can eat till you're bankrupt then I may consider it."

"Then forget it," Roy answered quickly. _I'm pretty much already broke after paying for all those dates and buying all those flowers on the weekend._ Just then, an idea occurred to him.

"Well if you won't join me for dinner, then at least let me send you some flowers to compliment your beauty," he told her. "We have several excellent flower shops in Central."

Olivier raised an eyebrow. "No doubt you've frequented those places often."

"You know me too well," Roy smirked. He stopped when they reached an adjacent corridor. "Anyway, my office is this way. I hope your meeting with the Fuhrer goes well."

Olivia gave a small grin and waved her hand nonchalantly as she continued towards King Bradley's office.

Roy silently slipped into his office, shutting the door quietly before locking it. Then he made his way back towards his desk, tossing the newspaper he had been carrying onto one of the empty desks as he passed. Collapsing into his chair, he let out a loud groan.

_Man, that woman's harsh as ever! I understand we need to keep up the appearance that we're bitter rivals but….argh! No wonder everyone's afraid of her!_

Shaking his head, he took out his wallet and pulled out a scrap of paper. Unfolding it, he gazed at the number written on it for a second before picking up the phone and dialed the number. The phone rang twice before somebody picked it up.

"Hello, you've reached Auntie's Flower Shop. How may I help you?" answered a cheerful female voice.

Roy smiled as he recognized the voice of the old flower lady he had met a few nights ago. "This is Colonel Mustang calling from Central HQ. I'll like to order a bouquet of flowers."

"Any particular flowers in mind?"

"Nah. Anything will do." _She'll toss them in the trash anyway._

"Alright. And who should I deliver them to?"

"Please make them out to Major General Olivier Armstrong at Central Headquarters."

"Ok. Is there a message you'll like to have attached to the flowers?"

"Yes. Please tell her that I have reservations for dinner at 7pm on Thursday."

"Excellent. The total comes to 3,000 cenz. I'll be sending you a bill shortly. It's a pleasure doing business with you again so soon, Colonel."

"The pleasure is all mine." Roy gently placed the receiver back onto the hook and looked at the clock again. It read 12:08.

_Crap. I'm really behind on my work now_.

Grabbing a handful of papers, he made his way down towards the mess hall. Riza should already be down there having lunch and, if he was lucky, he would have an opportunity to pass on Grumman's message to her.

--

Roy let out a groan of frustration as he scrawled his signature on the document in front of him for the umpteenth time. It was almost 5 and he was still only halfway through his paperwork.

_Damn. At this rate I'll be here all night._

Rubbing his cramped neck, he threw the document into the finished pile and grabbed another. He was almost finished reading it when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Roy barked, not looking up from his work. The door slowly opened and a nervous sergeant stepped into the room.

"Sir!" he saluted.

Roy dropped his pen onto his desk and eyed the young man. "What can I do for you, sergeant?"

"I have a message for you from Major General Armstrong." He held out an envelope. Roy took it.

"Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"No sir."

"Good. You are dismissed."

"Y-Yes, sir." The man quickly retreated, shutting the door behind him. Roy waited a few moments before turning the envelope over and broke the seal. Taking out the piece of paper inside and unfolding it, he read the Major General's neat handwriting.

_Colonel Mustang,_

_I see you had a change of heart. I'll consider your offer but I'm warning you that my schedule is a little unpredictable at the moment. The Fuhrer has already requested my aid in ensuring that the transfer of Briggs command goes smoothly._

Roy smirked as he dropped the note into the waste paper basket next to his desk and lit it with a snap of his fingers._So…she's successfully entered the lion's den. That woman is fearless. _Picking up his pen again, he went back to his paperwork with a renewed vigor.

The end was in sight.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok, that was one _really_ long chapter.

I don't know if anyone realized this but Marie was actually one of the girls General Grumman mentioned in Chapter 62 when he got the call from Madame Christmas.


	5. Homunculus Revealed

**Author's Notes:** I admit it. I'm really horrible at updating. And with the latest manga chapter (Ch 83) hinting at an epic battle right around the corner I'm even less motivated to update this story. :(

Anyway, spoilers up to the beginning of Chapter 78.

* * *

"So why exactly are we having dinner at the Armstrong's?" asked Riza as they drove through the wet cobblestones towards the outskirts of town.

"Because your grandfather invited us?" Roy answered, keeping his eyes forward, watching the road. Riza shifted in her seat beside him.

"I know that," she huffed. "I mean why are we meeting my grandfather at the Armstrong residence? I know the two are old friends but if he wanted to see the two of us why didn't he just meet us somewhere near HQ like he used to? "

"What can I say? Your grandfather can be quite unpredictable." Roy shuddered as he recalled how the Lieutenant General had dressed up as an old woman the last time he saw him. "Besides, you don't want to disappoint him by not showing up do you?"

Riza didn't answer. Instead, she looked out the window at the passing scenery. Roy sighed and continued driving. He hated keeping information from her but until they found a way of knowing when a Homunculus was nearby he had no choice but to keep her in the dark.

When they arrived at the Armstrong estate fifteen minutes later, someone was already waiting for them at the door.

"Ah, Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye. I'm so happy you two could come over," greeted Major Armstrong.

"Good evening, Major," Riza answered as they entered the front door. "How are you doing?"

"Quite well, thank you. General Grumman and my father will be coming down shortly. Unfortunately Mother and my little sister Catherine are away on a trip, so it'll just be you two, General Grumman, Father, Olivier, and myself tonight."

"Great," grinned Roy as he took Riza's coat. "That means we can get right down to business."

Riza looked at him. "What business?"

"He means we can talk about military stuff without boring my mother and my sister," answered another voice. Everybody turned around to see Olivier walking towards them carrying her sword.

"Ah, sister. I was wondering where you were-" began Armstrong. Olivier looked at him with contempt.

"I was practicing my swordsmanship," she replied as she handed her sword to a maid.

Glancing at Roy and Riza, she added, "Father and General Grumman are waiting in the dining room." Then, without another word, she led them to the other room.

"Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, what a pleasure to see you two again," said Lieutenant General Armstrong as they entered the dining room. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"The pleasure's ours," Roy answered as he shook the General's hand.

"How was your trip, Grandfather?" Riza asked General Grumman. The old man chuckled.

"Not as comfortable as I would have liked, but I've had worse."

"Anyway," interrupted General Armstrong. "Now that we're all here, let's eat!" He waved his hand at the servants who promptly retreated to the kitchen and returned seconds later carrying platters of food.

"So how are you enjoying your new position in Central, Major General?" asked Grumman as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"It's rather bland," she answered in a bored tone while a servant placed a plate in front of her. "I believe some of the generals are still suspicious of me after what happened to General Raven. They probably think I'm too ambitious but I'm slowly gaining their trust."

"Well you are rather young to be a general, my dear," replied her father. "Perhaps it's time you set-"

"Don't say it!" Olivier snapped.

"Really, Olivier. You're not getting any younger," commented her father. "Your mother and I thought that after all that time in Briggs you would've found someone by now."

Olivier slammed her fist on the table. "This is the reason why I don't come home more often!"

"Father, sister, please. We have guests," pleaded Major Armstrong but the two ignored him and continued arguing.

"I just want what's best for you."

"This is what's best for me. If you want grandchildren that badly then go bug Alex or one of my sisters."

Roy grinned at the last part. While Grumman had teased him several times in the past about hurrying up and marrying Riza he at least didn't bother them about giving him great-grandchildren. Then again, he glanced over at the old general and noticed Grumman whispering something to Riza that made her cheeks flush.

_So much for that thought._

He leaned over towards her and asked, "Do I even want to know what you two were whispering about?" Riza shook her head and looked up at Olivier and General Armstrong who were still bickering.

"Change the subject," she whispered.

"To what?" Roy whispered back.

"Anything," she hissed.

Roy coughed and everybody turned their attention towards him. "Speaking of Briggs, what's going on up at the Northern border?" he asked.

Olivier looked away and scoffed. "The Fuhrer's been anticipating a full-scale assault from the Drachmans once word spreads that I'm no longer at Briggs. He's already put the entire Central army on stand-by to head up North at a moment's notice."

_Figures_. Roy thought. _The more people he sends in the bigger the bloodshed._

"Anyway, I've been meaning to talk to you about the 'annual joint training', General Grumman," continued Olivier. "I've discussed it with Mustang a few days ago about scheduling it within the next two weeks but since Briggs is on the verge of another confrontation I'm proposing that we postpone it till further notice."

_What?_

"Well if you think it's for the best," answered Grumman as he took a bite of dinner. "However, if your men need more backup I can send some troops to Briggs."

"That won't be necessary. "I'm confident that with Miles and Buccaneer leading the forces, they can keep casualties to a minimum...at least on our side."

Roy looked at her, confused. "But what happens if the Central army decides to take over? They don't have experience fighting the Drachmans-"

"As long as my men can finish the battle before it begins that won't be a problem."

"But…" began Roy again. Olivier gave him an icy look before turning her attention back to Grumman.

"Anyway, while I'm certain we'll win an easy victory up at Briggs I'm a little concerned that the Fuhrer could be leaving Central vulnerable."

"Oh?" asked Grumman. "Why do you say that?"

Olivier leaned forward and grinned slightly. "As we both know, the Central army's attack and defense capabilities are already nowhere near as good as either the Northern or Eastern armies. Combined with the fact that the generals have been constantly sending in parts of the Central army to different corners of our country to fight means that the army in the capital is starting to get a little thin. Any enemy who is aware of this could use this weakness to attack Central."

Everybody stared at her. "Attack Central?" repeated Armstrong. "That's impossible."

"Not necessarily," chuckled Grumman. "The only reason why Central's been relatively free of conflict in the past is because it's situated in the heart of Amestris rather than at the border."

"Excuse me, Major General," interrupted Riza, "but who do you suspect will launch an attack on Central? All the enemies I can think of are currently engaged in battle with the military at the border."

"Actually, Hawkeye," replied Olivier, "I'm concerned that the threatis from inside the country. All this constant fighting is starting to become unpopular with certain parts of the population and their numbers are constantly growing. Any ambitious _individual_ or _group_ could use the border disputes as a distraction in attempt to overthrow the government."

"So you're concerned about a possible coup," Roy commented. He was starting to understand what Olivier was planning.

"But with the Homunculi in Central it'll be impossible for anyone to launch a surprised attack. They would know about it before planning was completed," Riza noted.

Everybody was silent for a moment while they pondered her question. Finally Grumman spoke again.

"That's true, Riza. I suppose the only way an attack could be planned out is if the planning was done outside of Central."

"But a Homunculus was spotted up North," argued Major Armstrong.

"Which means the planning might need to be done outside of the country," finished Grumman.

"Assuming they're confined within our borders. Something which seems unlikely," added Olivier.

Roy listened silently as the two generals continued debating possible ways of communicating. He frowned slightly when he noticed Riza sigh in frustration. It was clearly going to be one long dinner.

--

_Two hours later…_

Roy let out a loud sigh as they finally drove out of the Armstrong estate. "Phew…glad that's over with." Riza didn't answer. Roy looked over at her and noticed she was lost in thought as she watched the rain fall against the window.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, why?" She turned towards him.

"Well you're were quiet for most of dinner."

"Sorry. I've had a lot on my mind."

Roy looked at her for a second before returning his attention to the road ahead. Taking his left hand off the wheel, he placed it over her right. "Don't worry. We'll get through this together."

"I know," she said softly and he noticed her smile.

They didn't speak again till he drove up to the front of her apartment. Riza waited for him to shift the car into park before leaning over and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Goodnight," she whispered in his ear.

"Goodnight," he whispered back.

He watched as she quietly opened the door and stepped out. However, instead of shutting the door behind her she turned around and looked at him, a playful smirk on her lips.

"Oh, and don't even think of sleeping in like you did last year," she warned. Roy chuckled at the memory of Riza trying creative ways to get him out of bed that day.

"To be honest, we didn't exactly 'sleep in'," he smirked. "And you know how much I like to press the snooze button."

Riza laughed quietly. "Just make sure you're on time for the parade. You don't want to disappoint all your adoring fans do you?" She blew him a kiss and shut the door. He watched her walk up the stairs and slip in through the door before he finally drove off.

--

_The next day…_

Roy stared up at the podium, silently wishing the Fuhrer would hurry up with his speech. Fuhrer King Bradley had been droning on for the past twenty minutes about the history of Amestris and Roy was starting to feel an itch at the back of his neck that he desperately wanted to scratch. Unfortunately, as a model officer, he had no choice but to stand still and listen to the Fuhrer go on about his vision for the future of their country.

Stifling a yawn, Roy observed the other people standing on the podium. Olivier and General Grumman were standing to the left of the podium with the rest of the generals while Riza was standing a few feet behind the Fuhrer and his family. Roy frowned when he noticed that she was flanked by several bodyguards.

_It almost looks like she's a prisoner._

Riza turned her head slightly and their eyes met briefly before she turned back to gaze at the crowd in front of her. Roy's eyes wandered around the rest of the podium before stopping on the person sitting in front of her. Memories of Riza's coded message came flooding back to him as he watched the little boy fidget in his seat.

_Selim Bradley…Can you really be a Homunculus?_ He watched as the boy turned his head in his direction and smiled. It made Roy's blood freeze. There was definitely something unnatural about the child.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. After the speech Roy quickly excused himself and hid in his office in a futile attempt to finish the paperwork from the previous day. However, his mind was once again preoccupied with other thoughts and he found himself flipping through his journal for the most of the afternoon.

_Ok…this makes sense,_ he thought as he studied the map with the transmutation circle. _If they can keep the bloodshed to a minimum up North it won't be enough to activate the circle. The only problem now is how the Northern and Eastern Armies can co-ordinate an attack on Central without arousing suspicion. _

As he flipped through the rest of his notes he heard a clock chime. He looked at the clock on his desk. _5 o'clock. I guess I can call it a day._ Grabbing his coat, he made his way out of his office and looked around. The hallways around Central HQ were almost empty. _Most of the soldiers probably went home early to enjoy the long weekend,_ he thought as he went through the main entrance and down the front steps of the building.

He was halfway down the stairs when he noticed something black and white lying near a tree ahead of him. As he got closer, it got up and ran towards him as far as the leash would allow. Roy smiled as he watched the little black and white dog try unsuccessfully to break loose from his leash.

"Hey boy." Roy kneeled down and petted the dog. Black Hayate barked and licked his hand. "Sorry but I don't have any treats for you this time." The dog whined and sniffed him to make sure he wasn't lying. Roy smirked. "I promise I'll bring something next time, k?" he told Hayate before standing up.

"Sir!" shouted a familiar voice. Roy turned around and saw Riza running towards him.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," he called out, "Shouldn't you be with the Fuhrer right now?"

"He's busy attending to a few guests at the moment so I was able to slip out," she said gasping slightly. "There's something I need to talk to you about though, Roy."

Roy looked at her, puzzled. She rarely called him by his first name in public, and never while they were in uniform. "What is it?" he asked.

"Let's go somewhere more private first," she answered, looking over her shoulder. "I found out something important and I don't want anyone eavesdropping on us."

Roy looked around. There were a few people in the courtyard but there were all too far away to listen in on them.

"Please, sir," Riza continued, motioning to him to follow her. "We don't have much time. Once the Fuhrer finds out I'm gone he'll send his bodyguards looking for me."

"Um…ok." Roy went to follow her but something grabbed his foot. He looked down. Black Hayate was gripping his pant leg with his teeth, growling slightly.

"Hayate?"

The dog let go and moved between Roy and Riza, baring his teeth slightly. Riza bent down to pick him up but the dog took a step back and barked at her.

"Shut up you stupid mutt," Riza ordered but Hayate continued barking. She bent down again to pick him up but this time Hayate bit her.

"Hayate!"

"Stop it, Envy," said a childish voice suddenly near them. "He's not going to fall for it."

Roy turned around. There was nobody around.

"Heh. He would have if it weren't for that damn dog," answered a male voice. Roy turned back to Riza and found a slender male with wild hair standing in her stead.

"Envy?" he growled. "So you're the Homunculus who can transform into anything. I should have known." Envy simply grinned.

"I'm impressed, Colonel. You seem to know quite a bit about me despite never having met me in person before."

"I've heard a lot about you from the Elric brothers."

"How is the pipsqueak and tin can doing anyway? I heard they've been missing since that big fight with Kimbley," snarled Envy.

"Envy…" said the voice again. "That's enough."

Roy looked over his shoulder again. The voice seemed to come from behind the tree Hayate was under earlier.

"Who's there?" he shouted. "Show yourself!" Hayate also began barking.

A dark haired boy stepped out from behind the tree.

"Selim Bradley, what are you doing here?" Roy asked. _Well this definitely rules out Envy being Selim then._

"I'm playing hide-and-seek," the little boy answered, grinning.

Envy scoffed. "Those bodyguards they hired are a bunch of idiots. They couldn't even guard a sack of potatoes if their life depended on it," he mumbled. Selim giggled.

"Colonel," said Selim, 'You're the Full Metal Alchemist's superior aren't you?" Roy looked at him, somewhat confused.

"Yes, I am."

"Do you happen to know where he and his big armored brother are?"

"No, I don't."

Selim pouted. "Aww… I really want to talk to him again."

"What did you want to talk to him about?"

"I..umm…I wanted to ask him about…the Philosopher's Stone."

"Really," said Roy, unconvinced. "And why are you interested in the Philosopher's Stone?"

"I heard it can grant immortal life."

"You're still a child. You don't have to worry about dying anytime soon." He eyed the boy closely. "Unless… you aren't really what everyone thinks you are."

Selim didn't answer.

"You're a Homunculus aren't you?" Roy demanded. "You want to know where Edward Elric disappeared to because you need him and his brother to open the Gate."

Envy watched the two with mild amusement before speaking to Selim. "Looks like you're gonna have to drop the act, runt. He's not as dumb as you think he is."

Selim frowned. "Yes, I am. My real name is Pride," he answered slowly. While he answered Roy noticed giant eyes suddenly appearing behind the boy.

"What the hell…?"

He watched, stunned, as the giant eyes roamed around in the shadows. He didn't understand how but the shadow behind the boy seemed to be growing larger. Hayate yelped and hid behind him as small black hands extended from the shadows and slowly creeped towards them.

"I must say, you are pretty smart, Colonel Mustang. I suppose you'd have to be to reach Colonel at your age." Selim took a few steps towards them. "However you can occasionally be a bit of a nuisance."

Roy eyes darted between Selim and Envy. _Crap. This isn't good. _He was clearly outnumbered. He slowly reached into his pocket for his spark glove.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Colonel," said Envy lazily. "If you were to throw a flame attack remotely in his direction you'll be arrested for threatening the life of the Fuhrer's son."

_Dammit. _He withdrew his hand from his pocket. "Fine," he said, glaring at the boy. "What do you want from me?" Selim grinned.

"I want to know where the Elric brothers are."

"I told you already, I don't know. And even if I did know, I wouldn't tell the likes of you."

"You do know there's no use resisting us right? You're just going to get yourself needlessly killed."

"And how is that different from what's going to happen to us if we obey you? You Homunculi called us 'human sacrifices' which means we'll die whether we follow you or not." He gripped his hand into a fist. "Given the choice, I rather fight."

Selim shrugged and looked at Envy. "Father was right. He's stubborn too…like the elder Elric brother."

"Meh. He's just like that nosy four-eyed friend of his."

Roy's jaw tightened. "What did you say?"

Envy grinned. "You know…that friend of yours who stuck his nose a little too deep into our affairs and paid for it. I believe his name was Maes Hughes. He saw through my first disguise but the look in his eyes when I shot him as his wife was priceless-"

"So it was you," Roy pulled out his spark glove but before he could properly put it on he found Envy inches away from him.

"Too slow, Colonel."

Roy felt a sudden sharp pain as Envy's fist connected with him. He staggered slightly, gripping his abdomen.

"Sh…" he cursed, gasping as the pain resonated throughout his body.

"Aww…was that too much for you? mocked Envy. "I was hoping you would at least put up a fight." Selim giggled at the comment.

Roy gritted his teeth. "Don't underestimate me!" he yelled. Snapped his fingers, he directed a series of flame attacks at the Homunculus.

"Heh. You need to do better than that, Colonel," Envy laughed as he dodged the explosions. "However," he added, "your little display probably attracted a lot of attention so we better finish this now." In one swift motion he kicked Roy in the ribs. Roy staggered a few steps before finally succumbing to the blow. He watched weakly as Envy walked up to him.

"You're lucky Father wants you alive," he sneered. "I would have enjoyed killing you nice and slowly."

"You bastard. You'll pay for everything," Roy growled, glaring at the Homunculus. Envy laughed.

"I doubt it."

Roy watched as Envy raised his arm over him and brought it down on top of him. The last thing Roy felt was the rough surface of the pavement hitting his face before everything went black.


End file.
